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[Epitaph on Mrs Clerke]

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[Epitaph on Mrs Clerke]

1 Lo! where this silent marble weeps,

2 A friend, a wife, a mother sleeps:

3 A heart, within whose sacred cell

4 The peaceful virtues loved to dwell.

5 Affection warm, and faith sincere,

6 And soft humanity were there.

7 In agony, in death, resigned,

8 She felt the wound she left behind.

9 Her infant image, here below,

10 Sits smiling on a father's woe:

11 Whom what awaits, while yet he strays

12 Along the lonely vale of days?

13 A pang, to secret sorrow dear;

14 A sigh; an unavailing tear;

15 Till time shall every grief remove,

16 With life, with memory, and with love.

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Expanding the poem lines () shows notes and queries taken from various critical editions of Gray's works, as well as those contributed by users of the Archive. There are 20 textual and 17 explanatory notes/queries.

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"[This was the wife of Dr. John Clerke, an early college friend of Gray's, and afterwards a physician at Epsom. The lady died in childbirth, April 27, 1757, and was buried in the church of Beckenham, Kent. - Ed.]"

The Works of Thomas Gray: In Prose and Verse. Ed. by Edmund Gosse, in four vols. London: MacMillan and Co., 1884, vol. i, 125.

Title/Paratext] "This epitaph is on a [...]" J. Bradshaw, 1891.

"This epitaph is on a mural tablet of slate and marble in the Church at
Beckenham, Kent. The inscription is—

"Jane Clarke
Died April 27, 1757. Aged 31."

and then follow the verses in two columns.
The epitaph was first printed in the "Gentleman's Magazine" for October, 1774."The Poetical Works of Thomas Gray: English and Latin. Edited with an introduction, life, notes and a bibliography by John Bradshaw. The Aldine edition of the British poets series. London: George Bell and sons, 1891, 255.

"Mason's note is: "This Lady, the wife of Dr. Clarke, Physician at Epsom, died April 27, 1757, and is buried in the Church of Beckenham, Kent."
Subsequent editors have repeated his note, but the fact that the
epitaph is on a tablet in the church, and that it appeared in print before
Mason's edition of Gray, has not been recorded before. Clarke was a college
friend of Gray's."

The Poetical Works of Thomas Gray: English and Latin. Edited with an introduction, life, notes and a bibliography by John Bradshaw. The Aldine edition of the British poets series. London: George Bell and sons, 1891, 255.

"This epitaph is on a mural tablet of slate and marble in the Church at Beckenham, Kent. The inscription is:

JANE CLARKE Died March 27, 1757. Aged 31. (Bradshaw.)

Dr John Clarke was a physician at Epsom, and one of the oldest of Gray's college friends. Gray writes to Wharton from Florence, Mar. 12, 1740, ''If my old friends Thompson, or Clark fall in your way [at Cambridge] say I am extremely theirs.'' And to Clarke himself 20 years later (Aug. 12, 1760) he writes about the Erse fragments and gives a grotesque account of the death of Chapman, the Master of Magdalene, the publication of which by Mason greatly offended Chapman's friends."Gray's English Poems, Original and Translated from the Norse and Welsh. Edited by Duncan C. Tovey. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1922 [1st ed. 1898], 234.

"First printed in Fawkes and Woty, The Poetical Calendar, 2nd ed., London: Dryden Leach, 1763, viii. 121. The text used here is that inscribed in St. George's parish church at Beckenham, Kent (BK), but on the tablet (examined by the editors and rechecked by the Revd. T. C. Hammond, Rector of Beckenham) the inscription is cut in capital letters throughout and there are no marks of punctuation. Consequently, lower-case letters and punctuation have been supplied. The only holograph MS. is the letter to Bedingfield (T & W no. 266), 31 Jan. 1758, Huntington Library MS. HM 21912 (Bed)."

"Jane Clerke (1726-57), the wife of John Clerke (1717-90), Fellow of Pembroke and later a physician at Epsom, died in childbirth, according to Gosse (although Tovey questions the circumstance). Her husband presumably asked Gray to write the epitaph."

"The first printing of the poem has not hitherto been noted. It appeared in the Gentleman's Mag. xxix 485, for Oct. 1759, entitled (not accurately), 'An Epitaph, copied from a Tomb-stone in a Country Church Yard'. (This text contains one variant: 'thus' for 'yet' in l. 11.) It was accompanied by a Latin translation, which has not otherwise been traced in print, although it may be connected with a copy of the epitaph, with an unfinished Latin translation, in an unidentified hand found among Richard Hurd's papers (see Correspondence of Hurd and Mason, ed. Pearce and Whibley, 1932, p. 168). The only other occasion on which the poem was printed in G[ray].'s lifetime was in the Poetical Calendar (2nd edn, 1763) viii 121. It was reprinted in the New Foundling Hospital for Wit (1772) vi 76-7, and in the Gentleman's Mag. xliv (1774) 487, before Mason collected it in the Poems p. 61, in 1775. Wordsworth, Prose Works, ed. A. B. Grosart (1876) ii 66-7, thought its first 6 lines 'vague and languid' but praised the 'latter part' as 'almost the only instance among the metrical epitaphs in our language of the last century, which I remember, of affecting thoughts rising naturally and keeping themselves pure from vicious diction; and therefore retaining their appropriate power over the mind'."

"Written not long before 31 Jan. 1758, when G[ray]. sent it in a letter to Edward Bedingfield (Corresp ii 560): 'I will not send you the Sonnet you mention [presumably that on Richard West], but here is something else full as bad, only as it is just wrote, I send it to you. it is an epitaph on the Wife of a Friend of mine.' John Clerke (1717-90) had been a contemporary of G. at Peterhouse, became a Fellow in 1740 and practised as a physician for many years at Epsom. His father had been Rector of Beckenham in Kent and G.'s epitaph was duly inscribed on a mural tablet of slate and stone in St George's Church, Beckenham. Mrs Clerke had died in childbirth at the age of 31 on 27 April 1757."

"Gray wrote this poem not later than 1758 and described it as 'an epitaph on the Wife of a Friend of mine'. This friend was John Clerke, a contemporary of Gray's at Peterhouse. Mrs Clerke had died in childbirth in 1757."

The Complete English Poems of Thomas Gray. Edited with an Introduction and Notes by James Reeves. The Poetry Bookshelf series. London: Heinemann; New York: Barnes & Noble, 1973, 115.

Title/Paratext] "Written between the death of [...]" J. Heath-Stubbs, 1981.

"Written between the death of Mrs Clerke in April 1757 and Jan. 1758, when Gray sent a copy of it to Edward Bedingfield. Mrs Clerke, who died in childbirth, at the age of 31, was the wife of John Clerke, who had been a contemporary of Gray at Peterhouse. Gray's poem is inscribed on her tombstone in Beckenham churchyard, Kent, where John Clerke's father had been rector. The poem was first printed in The Gentleman's Magazine in 1759."

1.3-6 this ... weeps,] "This was a common poetical [...]" J. Bradshaw, 1891.

"This was a common poetical phrase last century in speaking of monuments to the dead."

The Poetical Works of Thomas Gray: English and Latin. Edited with an introduction, life, notes and a bibliography by John Bradshaw. The Aldine edition of the British poets series. London: George Bell and sons, 1891, 255-256.

"Mitford cites lines from Dryden and Pope in which this phrase occurs."

The Poetical Works of Thomas Gray: English and Latin. Edited with an introduction, life, notes and a bibliography by John Bradshaw. The Aldine edition of the British poets series. London: George Bell and sons, 1891, 256.

[''If Science raised her head] And soft Humanity that from rebellion fled.'' Dryden, Threnodia Augustalis, st. XII. ''Bred to the rules of soft humanity.'' Dryden, All for Love, II. i.

Pope, Epitaph on General Withers.

''[O born to arms! O worth in youth approved!] O soft humanity, in age beloved!''

But perhaps in the first example the expression refers to the liberal arts, literature, 'the humanities' as the Scotch say; whilst in the others, as in Gray, it stands for the gentle courtesies of life."Gray's English Poems, Original and Translated from the Norse and Welsh. Edited by Duncan C. Tovey. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1922 [1st ed. 1898], 234/235.

"''To hide her cares her only art,Her pleasure, pleasures to impart,In ling'ring pain, in death resign'dHer latest agony of mindWas felt for him, who could not saveHis all from an untimely grave.'' - MS."

The Works of Thomas Gray: In Prose and Verse. Ed. by Edmund Gosse, in four vols. London: MacMillan and Co., 1884, vol. i, 126/127.

"Mitford gives the six following lines as in a manuscript copy instead of lines 7 to 10
as finally decided on:—

"To hide her cares her only art,
Her pleasure, pleasures to impart,
In ling'ring pain, in death resigned,
Her latest agony of mind
Was felt for him, who could not save
His all from an untimely grave.""

The Poetical Works of Thomas Gray: English and Latin. Edited with an introduction, life, notes and a bibliography by John Bradshaw. The Aldine edition of the British poets series. London: George Bell and sons, 1891, 256.

''To hide her cares her only art, Her pleasure, pleasures to impart, In ling'ring pain, in death resign'd, Her latest agony of mind Was felt for him, who could not save His All from an untimely grave.'' Mason."

To hide her Cares her only art, Her pleasure pleasures to impart. In ling'ring pain, in death resign'd, Her latest agony of mind Was felt for him, who could not save His All from an untimely grave:

This variant is also recorded by Mason in 1775."The Poems of Thomas Gray, William Collins, Oliver Goldsmith. Edited by Roger Lonsdale. Longman Annotated English Poets Series. London and Harlow: Longmans, 1969, 209.

"Toynbee and Whibley, Corresp ii 560 n 7, mention John Clerke's copy of G[ray].'s 1768 Poems, in which he had transcribed this poem, as 'Epitaph on Mrs --- who died in Childbirth, by Mr Gray'. G. may not at first have known the manner of Mrs Clerke's death and have decided later to introduce a reference to the child in his revised version of these lines."

"''To hide her cares her only art,Her pleasure, pleasures to impart,In ling'ring pain, in death resign'dHer latest agony of mindWas felt for him, who could not saveHis all from an untimely grave.'' - MS."

The Works of Thomas Gray: In Prose and Verse. Ed. by Edmund Gosse, in four vols. London: MacMillan and Co., 1884, vol. i, 126/127.

"Mitford gives the six following lines as in a manuscript copy instead of lines 7 to 10
as finally decided on:—

"To hide her cares her only art,
Her pleasure, pleasures to impart,
In ling'ring pain, in death resigned,
Her latest agony of mind
Was felt for him, who could not save
His all from an untimely grave.""

The Poetical Works of Thomas Gray: English and Latin. Edited with an introduction, life, notes and a bibliography by John Bradshaw. The Aldine edition of the British poets series. London: George Bell and sons, 1891, 256.

''To hide her cares her only art, Her pleasure, pleasures to impart, In ling'ring pain, in death resign'd, Her latest agony of mind Was felt for him, who could not save His All from an untimely grave.'' Mason."

To hide her Cares her only art, Her pleasure pleasures to impart. In ling'ring pain, in death resign'd, Her latest agony of mind Was felt for him, who could not save His All from an untimely grave:

This variant is also recorded by Mason in 1775."The Poems of Thomas Gray, William Collins, Oliver Goldsmith. Edited by Roger Lonsdale. Longman Annotated English Poets Series. London and Harlow: Longmans, 1969, 209.

"Toynbee and Whibley, Corresp ii 560 n 7, mention John Clerke's copy of G[ray].'s 1768 Poems, in which he had transcribed this poem, as 'Epitaph on Mrs --- who died in Childbirth, by Mr Gray'. G. may not at first have known the manner of Mrs Clerke's death and have decided later to introduce a reference to the child in his revised version of these lines."

"''To hide her cares her only art,Her pleasure, pleasures to impart,In ling'ring pain, in death resign'dHer latest agony of mindWas felt for him, who could not saveHis all from an untimely grave.'' - MS."

The Works of Thomas Gray: In Prose and Verse. Ed. by Edmund Gosse, in four vols. London: MacMillan and Co., 1884, vol. i, 126/127.

"Mitford gives the six following lines as in a manuscript copy instead of lines 7 to 10
as finally decided on:—

"To hide her cares her only art,
Her pleasure, pleasures to impart,
In ling'ring pain, in death resigned,
Her latest agony of mind
Was felt for him, who could not save
His all from an untimely grave.""

The Poetical Works of Thomas Gray: English and Latin. Edited with an introduction, life, notes and a bibliography by John Bradshaw. The Aldine edition of the British poets series. London: George Bell and sons, 1891, 256.

''To hide her cares her only art, Her pleasure, pleasures to impart, In ling'ring pain, in death resign'd, Her latest agony of mind Was felt for him, who could not save His All from an untimely grave.'' Mason."

To hide her Cares her only art, Her pleasure pleasures to impart. In ling'ring pain, in death resign'd, Her latest agony of mind Was felt for him, who could not save His All from an untimely grave:

This variant is also recorded by Mason in 1775."The Poems of Thomas Gray, William Collins, Oliver Goldsmith. Edited by Roger Lonsdale. Longman Annotated English Poets Series. London and Harlow: Longmans, 1969, 209.

"Toynbee and Whibley, Corresp ii 560 n 7, mention John Clerke's copy of G[ray].'s 1768 Poems, in which he had transcribed this poem, as 'Epitaph on Mrs --- who died in Childbirth, by Mr Gray'. G. may not at first have known the manner of Mrs Clerke's death and have decided later to introduce a reference to the child in his revised version of these lines."

The Poetical Works of Thomas Gray: English and Latin. Edited with an introduction, life, notes and a bibliography by John Bradshaw. The Aldine edition of the British poets series. London: George Bell and sons, 1891, 256.

"Dr Bradshaw says here that Mrs Clarke died in childbirth. I can find no evidence for this, except the statement of Mr Gosse. It is certainly no proper inference from these two lines, and that Gray should have made no use of a fact which lent itself so easily to pathos*, [*Footnote: Cf. the following epitaph on a lady who did die in child-birth, the child surviving her: ''I, quaere, lector, an non sit lucrum mori, / Quum moriens mater vitam dat et accipit / Mortalem nato, aeternam sibi.''] is almost inconceivable. But it is clear from the preceding note that in the first draft of the verses he had forgotten the existence of the child altogether; and if the circumstances were as Mr Gosse represents them, this should have the distinction of being quite the worst epitaph ever written by a poet of name. As it is, the sentiment of the last two lines, whatever we may think of it, is not Christian; and of even pagan poets not all would affirm that time, when it puts an end to life, puts an end to memory and to love."

"''To hide her cares her only art,Her pleasure, pleasures to impart,In ling'ring pain, in death resign'dHer latest agony of mindWas felt for him, who could not saveHis all from an untimely grave.'' - MS."

The Works of Thomas Gray: In Prose and Verse. Ed. by Edmund Gosse, in four vols. London: MacMillan and Co., 1884, vol. i, 126/127.

"Mitford gives the six following lines as in a manuscript copy instead of lines 7 to 10
as finally decided on:—

"To hide her cares her only art,
Her pleasure, pleasures to impart,
In ling'ring pain, in death resigned,
Her latest agony of mind
Was felt for him, who could not save
His all from an untimely grave.""

The Poetical Works of Thomas Gray: English and Latin. Edited with an introduction, life, notes and a bibliography by John Bradshaw. The Aldine edition of the British poets series. London: George Bell and sons, 1891, 256.

''To hide her cares her only art, Her pleasure, pleasures to impart, In ling'ring pain, in death resign'd, Her latest agony of mind Was felt for him, who could not save His All from an untimely grave.'' Mason."

To hide her Cares her only art, Her pleasure pleasures to impart. In ling'ring pain, in death resign'd, Her latest agony of mind Was felt for him, who could not save His All from an untimely grave:

This variant is also recorded by Mason in 1775."The Poems of Thomas Gray, William Collins, Oliver Goldsmith. Edited by Roger Lonsdale. Longman Annotated English Poets Series. London and Harlow: Longmans, 1969, 209.

"Toynbee and Whibley, Corresp ii 560 n 7, mention John Clerke's copy of G[ray].'s 1768 Poems, in which he had transcribed this poem, as 'Epitaph on Mrs --- who died in Childbirth, by Mr Gray'. G. may not at first have known the manner of Mrs Clerke's death and have decided later to introduce a reference to the child in his revised version of these lines."

"Dr Bradshaw says here that Mrs Clarke died in childbirth. I can find no evidence for this, except the statement of Mr Gosse. It is certainly no proper inference from these two lines, and that Gray should have made no use of a fact which lent itself so easily to pathos*, [*Footnote: Cf. the following epitaph on a lady who did die in child-birth, the child surviving her: ''I, quaere, lector, an non sit lucrum mori, / Quum moriens mater vitam dat et accipit / Mortalem nato, aeternam sibi.''] is almost inconceivable. But it is clear from the preceding note that in the first draft of the verses he had forgotten the existence of the child altogether; and if the circumstances were as Mr Gosse represents them, this should have the distinction of being quite the worst epitaph ever written by a poet of name. As it is, the sentiment of the last two lines, whatever we may think of it, is not Christian; and of even pagan poets not all would affirm that time, when it puts an end to life, puts an end to memory and to love."

Works cited

The Poetical Works of Thomas Gray: English and Latin. Edited with an introduction, life, notes and a bibliography by John Bradshaw. The Aldine edition of the British poets series. London: George Bell and sons, 1891.

The Works of Thomas Gray: In Prose and Verse. Ed. by Edmund Gosse, in four vols. London: MacMillan and Co., 1884, vol. i.

Gray's English Poems, Original and Translated from the Norse and Welsh. Edited by Duncan C. Tovey. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1922 [1st ed. 1898].

Spelling has been modernized throughout,
except in case of conscious archaisms. Contractions, italics and initial
capitalization have been largely eliminated, except where of real import.
Obvious errors have been silently corrected, punctuation has been
supplied. The editor would like to express his gratitude to the library
staff of the Göttingen State and University Library (SUB
Göttingen) for their invaluable assistance.